The danger of Iran-Japan Friendly

[PersianLegion]

Mark my word we either draw or lose. I wish a victory but I am not optimistic with this lazy ass team.

[TheBoss]

Folks here are overrating Japan. We are talking about the same team that got rekt by UAE, right? The same UAE that we defeated.

[Bijans]

Can you please elaborate why you think this team is a lazy ass team? What have they not done? Or done to be called Lazy ass? Do they have unlimited resources like many other countries and they are sitting on their asses doing nothing?

Thank you,

Bijan

Mark my word we either draw or lose. I wish a victory but I am not optimistic with this lazy ass team.

[Doctor DOOM]

Sorry Saeed Jan, but not only I don't see any danger in meeting with Asia's best team, Japan, I must also add that I don't give a fig's arse about FIFA rankings or that we're supposedly ranked first. In fact I think that ranking is working AGAJNST us as it's become a tool to cover and hide all our shortcomings and weaknesses

The truth is we're nowhere near the first. On our very best days (that are EXTREMELY RARE and hard to come by) we're perhaps third or fourth, if we base it on the QUALITY of our performance.
But so often we're showing very average or even poor quality of football. But these low quality displays get hidden by touting the absurdly useless FIFA rankings

Lets not be gullible. If we keep covering our weaknesses and poor quality we'll never improve because we blind ourselves to the need of this improvement.


I'd rather be ranked lower, but show good quality football and win games when they truly matter. Just like the Koreans or Japanese or Aussies who are supposedly lower than us, but when it really matters, they get the job done with ease.
This ranking is like POISON for us.

[Bi-honar]

The truth is we're nowhere near the first. On our very best days (that are EXTREMELY RARE and hard to come by) we're perhaps third or fourth,

The funny thing is that some people will read your post and think you're being facetious mate. I think that's pretty accurate and if anything you're on the kind side with that assessment.

To see where we really stand, we need to average out our performance in competitive matches and no better place to do that than the WC qualifiers because they're the most recent indicator of our performance.

And based on that, we are currently ranked 12th in Asia!!! That's right, 12th - not a typo, but an actual ranking based on the number of points achieved by all the teams so far, excluding the last placed team in each group, to even out all the groups.

We are not only ranked lower than all the 1st placed teams in each group, but we are actually ranked lower than 4 of the 2nd placed teams and only ahead of Iraq and Oman on goal difference! Here's that ranking:

1st to 3rd: South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, 9 points
4th to 7th: Japan, North Korea, Thailand, Jordan, 7 points
8th to 11th: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, Kuwait, 6 points
12th to 14th: Iran, Iraq, Oman, 5 points

I should also mention that we're a single point ahead of 3rd placed teams like Guam, Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam!

[Doctor DOOM]

Bro, I understand where you're coming from. But we will advance with no worries. It's only half way through.
The problem is again, that advance will put a lid on all our poor performances and people forget the NEED for fine tuning and improving our weaknesses!!!


Btw, I just saw a super duper goal scored by Romania. Their second goal was fantastic ... albeit unintended that most probably was supposed to be a cross that swerved from angle, over the keeper into the goal. Orgasmic goal ��

[teammelli91]

If you ask me, in the second round we need to play attacking football against the so called "weaker teams". We need to win every damn match against them. With no excuses.

In other words, there will be 5 other teams in our group. Like the CONCACAF Hexagonal stage. Don't underestimate the teams besides Japan, Korea, and Australia. We need to go for scoring and defeating them home and away!

We should not forget we have an extra team in the group this time around!

[teammelli91]

Also, UNLIKE the CONCACAF Hexagonal WCQ stage, ONLY 2 TEAMS qualify directly to Russia 2018.

Yes, that's right. Unlike the CONCACAF Hexagonal, where 3 teams get their tickets to the WC, in Asia it will ONLY be 2 TEAMS

An extra team means more work!

This WCQing campaign is going to be the most adrenaline packed campaign in a long time.

[saeed_noro]

Sorry Saeed Jan, but not only I don't see any danger in meeting with Asia's best team, Japan, I must also add that I don't give a fig's arse about FIFA rankings or that we're supposedly ranked first. In fact I think that ranking is working AGAJNST us as it's become a tool to cover and hide all our shortcomings and weaknesses

for me it does not matter too in general, but when it comes down to become a group header for the next stage (two group of 6 teams!) it will be decided by ranking which two strongest team will be group heads. and i want iran to be a group head, together with japan OR Korea...but at the end of the day the ranking is not really relevant, the danger is only a stronger, more difficult group on paper if we end up in pot 2..

[BacheLot]

lol, everyone always moan about FIFA rankings being a Joke..!!
FACT IS, its the only Rating that really Counts when it comes to Tournament Ranking etc..!!
and will always continue to have the most significant outside effect on team's progress chances..!!


regardless, we usually fair well vs the Japs and even if we didnt, we can ill afford to pass up such a golden opportunity to play a friendly vs a very quality, and classy football side and in the process get a somewhat of a reality check of our true standings in continental football..!!

[Kavian]

So, what was the danger again?

[PersianLegion]

So, what was the danger again?

This